ARE YOU GOING BACK HOME FROM SANTIAGO OR DO YOU CONTINUE YOUR CAMINO?

You can finish the Way of Saint James in Santiago, continue to the Kilometre Zero of Fisterraor enjoy a few extra days for fun and rest in Galicia.

If you want to continue your holidays, you can keep your suitcase waiting for you in Santiago if you send it before you start the Camino to our Correos office at the Rúa do Franco, where we will keep it until you arrive.

Whichever decision you make, you can find useful information here to prepare for the end of the Way:

By car: Many pilgrims decide to hire a car to go back. If this is your choice, you can find the most relevant car hire companies in Santiago, most of them with offices at the railway station, located at the end of the Rúa do Hórreo. Others decide to take their own car to Santiago, leave it there and then take a bus or train to their starting point. There is also the possibility of going by car to the starting point, leaving it there and getting a bus or train back once you reach Compostela.

By bus: Santiago’s bus station is 20 minutes on foot from the city centre, in the area of San Caetano. You can take a city bus in the Plaza de Galicia (line 5) or other stops in the city. There is a free mobile app, Maisbus, with information about routes and timings. From the bus station in Santiago there are daily coaches to Madrid and other Spanish as well as European cities. If you have left your car in Sarria or O Cebreiro, look for the bus timings of Freire, the company for this destination.

By train: Santiago’s railway station is in the new part of town, close to the centre. There are daily trains to Madrid, Barcelona and Bilbao, from where you can get your next connection to other Spanish cities. Pilgrims going to Portugal can catch a train to Vigo and their onward connections there. You can get more information at Renfe(+34 902 320 320).

By plane: Santiago’s airport is called Lavacolla and is located 11 kilometres away from the city. To get there, catch the Freire airport bus line, available daily from 07:00 to 01:00 at a 30-minute interval and with several stops (Praza de Galicia, rúa da Rosa, railway station, bus station, the chapel of San Lázaro, Palacio de Congresos, San Marcos, Xan Xordo, Lavacolla). You can also take a taxi from anywhere in the city (+34 981569292). Iberia connects the city with many Spanish and European destinations, while Ryanair, Vueling or Air Europa also fly from here.

If you do not want to carry your luggage, or you do not want to pay to have it checked-in (if you are carrying a trekking pole, remember that you cannot take it as carry-on luggage), you can send it from any Correos office in the city directly to your home. You will find one in Rúa do Franco (150 metres away from the Cathedral), another one inside the Pilgrim’s Office and another one 100 metres away from the bus station.

GOING BACK HOME WITH YOUR BIKE: If you have cycled your Way to Santiago, you can send your bike back home from our main post office at Rúa do Franco for just 42.03 euros (within peninsular Spain and with special packaging and an insurance of 300 euros) with our Paq Bicicleta. We also send it to Europe. You can see all details and prices here.

FROM SANTIAGO TO FISTERRA

Every year more pilgrims decide to continue the Camino to Fisterra/Finisterre. This is a beautiful route towards our land’s end, where you can see the famous Costa da Morte (Death Coast) overlooking the infinite Atlantic.

The Camino to Fisterra is almost 100 kilometres way from Santiago de Compostela and you need 4 to 5 days to complete it. This is the only one of the Caminos that does not end in Santiago. Once they get there, many pilgrims decide to visit Muxía to see the Chapel of the Virxe da Barca.

You can also get there by bus. Monbus has daily buses to this destination. It takes between 2 and 3 hours. If you are coming back to Santiago and you do not want to take your rucksack, you can leave it in our lockers at Rúa do Franco, 150 metres from the Cathedral, or you can hire the rucksack transportation servicesand we take it from section to section.

Once in Fisterra, you have to go up to the cape to see the Lighthouse of Fisterra and if possible sit on the rocks to enjoy the sunset into the Atlantic at the spot where land’s end was supposed to be. No doubt, this is a magic spot. There you can also see the sign for Kilometre Zero.

Many pilgrims decide to undertake three rites: purification by going for a swim at praia de Langosteira, 2 kms before reaching the village; death, by leaving some of their material belongings there and resurrection looking at the sunset.

If you walk to Fisterra and stamp your Credencial (Pilgrims passport) in the different stages, the public hostel will issue the “Fisterrana” certificate, attesting to the achievement of having reached land’s end.

From Fisterra, there are still 30 kilometres to Muxía, one of the interesting detours in this Camino. Many pilgrims divide the Route in 2 phases, sleeping in Lires. This Camino, does not only allow pilgrims to enjoy the Costa da Morte, it also takes you to the Chapel of Virxe da Barca, a church built on the spot where Holy Mary moored her stone ship to encourage the Apostle, according to legend. Beside it, there are several stones, such as the “Pedra de Abalar”, with the powers of divination, or the “Pedra dos Cadrís” where you will see people going under (9 times) to heal kidney or back ailments.

If you do not have the time to do the Camino to Fisterra but you want to know it, the agency Viajes Viloria Galicia Incoming organises one-day trips to Fisterra and Muxía.

IF YOU WANT TO GET TO KNOW GALICIA

Once in Santiago de Compostela, you can stay and enjoy Galicia. Nature, beaches, food, festivals... there are so many incredible options! Here you have some suggestions for you to enjoy:

THE SEA: A trip around the Rías Baixas will take you to wonderful sandy beaches such as A Lanzada, delicious shellfish in Arcade or O Grove and the fantastic local white wines Albariño or Rosal. In the summer months, you can also get to Vigo by train and from there take a ferry to the Islas Cíes, the islands that are home to the most beautiful beach in the world, according to The Guardian. If you continue towards the South, you can go up the mountain of Santa Tecla and take a look at Portugal from the vantage point of one of the best preserved castros (pre-Roman settlements) in Galicia.

There are amazing cliffs and wild beaches in the Rías Altas, with charming villages such as Muros, Mugardos or Doniños. You cannot miss magical places such as Muxía, the beaches of Razo or Fisterra, our land’s end, or all the other wonders of the Costa da Morte. If you feel like doing some more trekking, you can complete the Camiño dos Faros (Lighthouse route) along the coast.

Near Santiago, you can also visit the Ría de Arousa (you can get to Vilagarcía by train), or the Castro de Baroña and its spectacular beaches: As Furnas, Río Sieira or the Natural Park of Corrubedo.

Up to Estaca de Bares, the border with Asturias, the Mariña Lucense offers a privileged view of this Western side of the Bay of Biscay, with lonely and long sandy beaches combined with villages with amazing architecture built by Galicians who migrated to the Americas and constructed magnificent houses here. You should not miss beautiful Ribadeo and the fascinating beach of As Catedrais/Las Catedrales (Praia de Augasantas), which surprises many tourists with its natural architecture carved by the sea.

If you want to know the Rías Baixas and the sea around them, the travel agents Viajes Viloria Galicia Incoming organises day trips, including a catamaran tour around the ría, and also trips to the Costa da Morte, the Ribeira Sacra, Porto and the Islas Cíes.

CITIES AND TOWNS: The Roman Wall of Lugo, the Torre de Hercules (the oldest Roman lighthouse in the world) in A Coruña, the Burgas (Roman hot springs) in Ourense, the harbour of Vigo, the old town of Pontevedra or the Modernista neighbourhoods of Ferrol... There are so many attractions in Galician cities, both coastal and interior! … And they are all well connected through public transportation. Smaller towns such as Betanzos, Ribadavia or Monforte de Lemos open their doors to architectural jewels and wonderful food.

THE MOUNTAINS: There are many trekking routes and nature sports activities available in Galicia – in preserved environments of lush greenery. You cannot miss the pallozas of Os Ancares or the wonders of O Courel. Get your boots on and walk the “raia”, the border with Portugal through the Monte Xurés, you can go rafting down the Ulla, enjoy the wonderful canons of rivers Sil or Miño with their surrounding vineyards, or get to see wild horses at A Curota.

FESTIVALS: You will soon find out that in Galicia, fun and food go hand in hand. The summer months are buzzing with food festivals. The carneiro ao espeto (spit roasted chevon) in Moraña, the percebe (goose barnacle) in Aguiño or the pulpo (octopus) in O Carballiño are famous beyond our borders. Besides, there are romerías (religious festivals involving processions) and verbenas (open air dancing) all over Galicia in the summer, bringing charangas, concerts and orquestras to villages and small towns. If you are going to spend a few days in Galicia do not forget to look for the festival calendar, it is a wonderful way of getting to know Galicia.